The UE Pep Squad have finally regained a podium finish in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ much-anticipated and hotly contested Cheerdance Competition!

This after finishing as Second Runner-up in the UAAP Season 80 CDC on December 2, 2017, at the Mall of Asia Arena. The red-and-white cheering squad last saw a UAAP podium finish when it was emerged as First Runner-up in the UAAP Season 65 CDC in 2002.

With a phoenix-inspired routine, the Warrior Cheerdancers wowed the crowd with their choreography, tosses and pyramids that left the audience, both at the Arena and those watching from home, awestruck.

According to UE Pep Squad Adviser Mhey Francisco, this year’s routine was inspired by the April 2016 fire in UE Manila that engulfed the College of Arts and Sciences building and part of the College of Engineering Building and of the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel. The concept itself is a tribute to UE, and its “rise from the ashes” after that recent incident. Coach Francisco also says that this year’s routine best describes the journey that the UE Pep Squad has undergone in the UAAP CDC. She sees the squad as being reborn and rising above the flames of being non-placers in the previous years.

The entire routine was put together by Coach Francisco and her fellow coaches Dico Ili and Gibson Alegre. Coach Ili took charge in forming the dance routine while Coach Alegre oversaw the execution of the team’s tosses. The team, composed mainly of students with a background in gymnastics, practiced six times a week in the run-up to the UAAP 80 CDC.

At the competition proper, the Warrior Cheerdancers executed their routine with minimal errors, to the delight of the coaches. Coach Francisco recalls that in previous outings, people always expected the Squad to fall in executing lifts and pyramids. This year, there was little to none of that.

The UE Pep Squad’s 2017 routine was met with approval by the hard-to-please UAAP CDC crowd, with social media praising them for a good execution. Coach Francisco herself was overwhelmed by the responses and feedback she received in social media about her wards’ performance, with some even pegging them to be one of this year’s top contenders, even ahead of defending four-time champion National University and previous multi-year champion University of the Philippines.

All told, Coach Francisco is elated with the finish her squad achieved. She adds that she saw the hunger in her team to be on top, and is thankful that their hunger has yielded results.

The UE Pep Squad is already excited for next season’s competition, the members hoping that their recent victory will win them new recruits. The team is also banking on this feat being boost to the members of the squad to aim for the top spot. They are, after all, within striking distance of it. But for now, they are enjoying the fruits of their labor.